The Champion and the Pirate
by misfit320
Summary: Just how did the Champion of Kirkwall end up with a shipwrecked pirate, and where did they disappear to? Varric attempts to answer those questions... Rated M for banter, insults, and... well, it's an Isabela story, you should know by now.
1. Prologue

**Well, here's the start to my first Dragon Age fic! I'm excited!**

**This will tell the story of Hawke and Isabela. I'll be focusing on their relationship, so expect some glossing over of plot details and the like. Partly because I assume you know them already, mostly because I'm too lazy and can't be bothered.**

**Anyways, this will tie in with my other Dragon Age fic which will be pretty much the same treatment of my Warden's relationship with his lover, but that's a little slower in getting to any point of being able to post, so expect that soon. **

**Of course, both will be precursors to my take on a possible DA3 plot. If you follow me, you'll be seeing those soon!**

**Bioware owns everything and everyone... yes, that means you, dear reader!**

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"We escaped into the hills. Eventually, circumstances forced us to leave the Champion. Well, all of us except Isabela…"

"So, what became of them? Did they return to Kirkwall?"

"Please, with Templar reinforcements on their way? Only a great fool would return to Kirkwall then."

"Then tell me, dwarf. What did they do?"

"They returned to Kirkwall…"

"You just said…"

"I know what I said, and I know what you heard. Hawke and Isabela didn't leave Kirkwall before setting a plan in motion. When they got back, everything had been arranged, and they were ready to leave for good."

"So, leaving was a feint?"

"Give the Seeker a cookie, she got one right for once!"

"Enough, vermin. What was their plan?"

"Well, I could tell you that, and you'd jump to your own conclusions, or I can try to explain Isabela and Hawke's relationship a little bit, so you actually _understand_ why they did what they did."

"Fine. Tell me everything."

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**All reviews always welcome!**


	2. Teetering on the Brink

**Yay, I didn't tease with just the prologue!**

**Bioware owns them. I just wait til they're asleep and play with their toys...**

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"You're not going to do it, Hawke," Isabela said as she looked over the ledge to the ground far below. "You're too much of a coward."

"Is that so?" Hawke replied, eyeing the pirate carefully.

"Of course. If you were going to do it, you'd have gone by now."

Hawke looked over the ledge herself. They were on the roof of the Hanged Man, standing at the base of the plank that ran from the Hanged Man to the roof of the building she lived in with her sister, mother, and uncle.

"I'm j'st waiting, s'all."

Hawke hiccupped lightly. She and Isabela had been drinking since midday, and engaged in a small war of dares, culminating with Hawk standing on the edge of the roof at midnight.

"Waiting on what, dear? A griffon to swoop out of the skies and set you on the other side?"

"Oh, there's griffons in this shtory? Awesome!"

Isabela shook her head. She was well aware that she was drunk and only her sea-legs were preventing her from swaying all over the roof. Hawke, however, had no such advantage, and was inches from a thirty foot drop. "Fine, Hawke. I'll show you what to do. But so help me, if you fall and hurt yourself, I'm leaving you in Anders' clinic for a week to listen to him chastise you!"

Isabela slowly guided the stumbling Fereldan from the ledge. She slowly took her place, only being slightly less inebriated than her friend. "Ok, wash me, this is how you does this…"

She turned and shot a glare at Hawke after hearing the woman start to laugh behind her. "Stop laughing! What's so funny anyways?"

"You… you said 'wash me!'" Hawke sank to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as she laughed. "It's funny because you're a dirty, dirty-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll beat you with this board!"

"Sorry," Hawke said, composing herself. "Sorry, I know you're good with wood, I'll stop."

"I hate you sometimes," the Rivaini's smile at the other woman was a predatory one. "After you back down from this, you'll owe me a wild night at the Blooming Rose."

Isabela turned and started walking down the board. Halfway across, she head Hawke explode into a fit of laughter. Turning slightly, she glared at the other woman. "Be quiet! I'm trying to make sure I don't die, wench! What's so funny anyways?"

Hawke quickly composed herself. "It's just the thought that I'm watching the pirate queen walk the plank… it's funny!"

Isabela admitted that it was slightly humorous, though she just rolled her eyes and finished her traversal of the gap. Turning, she smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Ok, now you, you saucy tart. And remember, if you fall, you have to deal with Anders."

Hawke stepped up to the plank. As before, she didn't proceed any further. "Well, come on, then. I'm waiting!"

Hawke held up her hand, one finger raised. "I'm waiting-"

"For what?!"

At that, Hawke released a loud, deep, almost bone-rattling belch. She looked at Isabela's shocked expression and smiled. "… for that."

With that, Hawke flung herself forward, her hands catching the plank. Before Isabela could say anything, Hawke pulled her legs up into a handstand. Pausing for only a moment, she swung her legs over while launching herself up, moving further down the plank. She landed in a crouch about six feet from the edge of the tenement building. Pausing for a moment, she flashed a smile at Isabela, then pushed off from the plank, diving forward.

Isabela realized too late that Hawke was making a beeline right to her. Hawke caught her around the waist and sending the pair of them head over heels. Hawke ended up on top, and the two burst out laughing.

After a moment, Hawke quieted, and looked down as Isabela, smiling. "And that, my dear Isabela…" she reached into Isabela's corset, between her breasts. Ignoring the woman's shocked look, Hawke pulled out the two gold sovereigns the pirate had stashed there while still in the bar, "… is how you con a con." Hawke hopped off Isabela, sitting next to her with a smug smile on her face.

Isabela shot upright. "YOU! You're not drunk at all!"

"Nope!"

"You… you cheated!"

"Upset because I cheated, or because I cheated before you did?"

"_I_ was concerned for your safety," Isabela pouted.

"_You_ were trying to beat me. Just admit it, I used you."

"Used me?"

"Of course, my dear. I needed two last sovereigns for the expedition, and I knew you had them. Along the way, I decided to have some fun, hence the dare contest."

"Scamp!" Isabela playfully pushed Hawke away from her. She sat up, and took Hawke's extended hand in her own, each helping the other to stand. "I should have known you were faking it."

"Isabela, are you saying that you couldn't tell when someone was faking it with you?"

"Trust me, darling, they _never_ fake it when they're with me."

The two women laughed as they moved back across the board to the roof of the Hanged Man. Isabela tried to goad Hawke into letting her try to win her money back, but Hawke, having bested the pirate, wouldn't give her the chance. They sat on the ledge, with their feet hanging over. Isabela pulled a flask from her hip, took a swig, and passed it to Hawke. "So, you're all set for the expedition, then? You'll be leaving soon?"

"Yes. Varric said that, once I had the funds, we could leave within two days. The faster we get this done, the better, I might lose my nerve."

"Who are you taking?"

"So far, Anders. He has the most experience with the Darkspawn, and that taint in his blood will come in handy. Other than that… I don't know."

"What about Bethany?"

"No." Hawke answered immediately. "Mother needs her here. I'm… more expendable than my sister is. If anything were to go wrong, my mother would need Bethany more than me."

Isabela didn't know what to say to that. After a moment, she decided to skirt the issue. "Well… it'll certainly be much quieter around here with both you and Varric gone for a few months."

"You could come with us."

Hawke's comment took Isabela completely off guard. Not the comment itself, but the almost shy way Hawke had said it. "What? Come with you? Are you daft?"

"I'm serious! Think of it, gold, jewels, plunder! What do you pirates call it… ah yes, booty!" Hawke's tone had quickly recovered its typical swagger.

Isabela smirked. "I get plenty of that right here, pet."

Hawke grinned wickedly. "Yes, but not mine." Hawke continued as Isabela just raised an eyebrow at the comment. "I'll give you twenty percent of my cut. I need someone I can depend on watching my ass."

"Twenty percent?!" Isabela said in mock outrage. "Oh my, I've never felt so cheap in my life!"

"Liar." Hawke smirked. "Thirty."

"Forty for the insult to my honor."

"Thirty and you get the pleasure of 'watching my ass.'"

"Hmm…" Isabela put her finger to her mouth in a pensive position. "Thirty-five percent of your share of the loot, plus looking at your ass. I admit, you have a nice ass, but I don't know if it's worth that much. Besides, I truly hate enclosed spaces."

"How about thirty percent, you get to watch my ass, and-"

"A bird. I want a pet bird."

"A bird? Whatever for?"

"Sometimes I just want a pet. A nice, big bird to pet when I get lonely. Maybe an eagle. Or a hawk…"

Hawke laughed. "Isabela, if you truly want a hawk to pet, you're going to have to be much more clever than that!"

Isabela just pouted. "And here I was thinking that you cared… I was so wrong."

Hawke nudged the pirate. "All kidding aside, Isabela, I would love it if you would come. Something about this whole thing really rubs me the wrong way, and I'd appreciate having someone like you around. I trust you to have my back, and I could always use a seasoned set of eyes on Bartrand's people."

Isabela was silent for a moment as she weighed her options. While the thought of possibly being trapped in the deep roads was less than ideal, she couldn't just disregard the possible spoils to be had. And not having to pay for alcohol or food for a few weeks would help her save the money she had.

Also, she had to admit, there was something about being with Hawke that excited her, even if they were fighting a dragon in the Bone Pit. The rogue was simply her type of person: quick witted, sarcastic, and confident. _Plus_, Isabela thought to herself, _she does have a great ass…_

"Oh, alright, I'll go. But you owe me big!"

"Thank you, dear!" Hawke leaned over and kissed Isabela. What began as a quick kiss between friends, however, slowly became something more as Hawke brought her hand up, and ran it through Isabela's hair, and let her tongue slip into Isabela's mouth. Isabela, was almost stunned by the kiss, though she soon found herself eager for more. She slid her own tongue past Hawke's, and brought her own hand up to Hawke's shorter hair. Their breathing grew heavier as they continued, each leaning in greedily to the other.

Just as abrubtly as it started, Hawke withdrew. They both hung there, almost awkwardly. "I… I should go. I'll see you tomorrow." Hawke stood with a hurry and started for the plank again. As she reached her own roof, she turned around and looked to Isabela, who was still sitting where Hawke had left her. "Thank you, Isabela. For… everything."

With that, she disappeared through the hatch on the roof that lead inside, leaving Isabela alone. The pirate leaned back, overtaken by conflicting moods of arousal and contemplation. _That was totally unexpected_, she thought, _but… rather nice._ She realized that she only had two options at the moment: she could either see if it was the alcohol that lead Hawke to kiss her like that, or she could pretend that it never happened, and not take the chance of embarrassing her friend.

_As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained…_ She had made up her mind. As she stood to go through the roof hatch back into the Hanged Man, she felt, in making her decision, that she had taken a wild leap off of some precipice, and would either learn to fly on the way down or be dashed against the rocks. _This will certainly be an interesting expedition..._

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**Plenty more where this came from. Please be warned, there's lots more playful name-calling to come, and... well, you can imagine some of their other "activities."**

**As always, all reviews are welcome! As long as they bring a dish to pass!**


	3. Deep and Dark

**Welcome back, not-so-gentle readers! We continue the story of everyone's favourite Champion and Pirate! I'll try to keep these updates regular, but I offer no promises.**

**As always, Bioware owns everyone. And everything. Give them your money, and your soul. I did, and it's worked out fine so far!**

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Hawk and Isabela sat back to back, leaning on each other in order to stay upright. It was a week since Bartrand had abandoned them in the Deep Roads, and the two women, along with Anders and Varric, were almost out of the meager supplies they had taken with them. After several days of fighting their way through Darkspawn, giant spiders, and other cave-dwelling beasts, Hawke had to admit to herself that it was looking bleak. "I've killed us all."

Isabela snorted. "Oh come now, it's not that bad. We've still got Varric's manly chest hair to protect us."

Hawke just shook her head. She was intent on being miserable, and Isabela's jokes weren't going to change her mood. "We have enough food to last for one more day. After that… well, we may have to start thinking about…"

"What, eating each other? Darling, I didn't know you were getting frisky, but if you think this is the right time and place…"

"Isabela, please. I'm not in the mood."

They sat in a silence that neither of them felt comfortable in. "Isa… I'm sorry."

The pirate just chuckled. "Don't be, it was a bad pun. Puns should never be rewarded with laughter."

"No, I'm sorry for convincing you to come. If it weren't for me, you'd be back up there, tossing back pints at the Hanged Man, instead of slowly dying down here." Isabela elbowed Hawke sharply in the ribs at that. "Ow, what was that for?"

"To remind you that you're still alive. And while you are alive, my friend, you will keep your wits about you. I don't associate with blithering idiots, and now is not the time to change that."

Hawke didn't immediately have a response to that. Isabela was pleased, though, to hear the confident tone in Hawke's voice when she finally did speak. "You really think we'll get out of this?"

"Of course. After all, you owe me a week at the Blooming Rose."

"You never said anything about the Blooming Rose!"

"I renegotiated my terms after we got abandoned here. You just weren't part of the negotiations at the time, being all mopey and such. I felt it would be better to just tell you of our new arrangement."

Hawke sighed. "Serves me right for being 'mopey,' I guess. Well, what do you suggest? We can't keep this up forever."

Almost as if on cue, the stone around them began to rumble and quake. Dust and pebbles fell from the cavern ceiling onto the group. Varric and Anders both woke with a start. "What's going on, what is that?" The dwarf looked around, trying to find the source of the quakes.

"I don't know," Hawke replied, standing. "Anders, anything?"

"It's not Darkspawn."

"It's not a cave in…"

Varric chuckled as the shaking died. "How great would it be if it were a dragon? There's always dragons in this kind of story."

At that, a great roar pieced the darkness of the caves ahead. It was certainly a dragon. "Andraste's tits, Varric! Why did you go and say that out loud?"

The group slowly edged forward. They found themselves in a narrow but tall hallway, which opened up to a larger room, obviously still part of the primeval thaig. As Hawke tried to see into the darkness, Isabela grasped her elbow excitedly. "Do you smell that?"

Hawke paused, closing her eyes to focus on the smell. Beyond the dirt and musk, she detected something unexpected. "The sea!"

Hawke gaped as Isabela smiled. "The sea. That dragon had to come from somewhere. If we can get by it, we should be right near an exit. We'll be out of these damned caverns!"

Hawke looked back towards Varric and Anders. "Oh great, we're half-dead already, let's have the dragon finish us off," moped the mage.

Before anyone could respond, a scratching and panting sound was heard from a pile of rubble behind them. Immediately, the four companions raised their weapons. "Anders, Darkspawn?"

"No, something else!"

Hawke moved to the front of the group, eyes peering into the darkness. "Whatever it is, it's coming-" Hawke's words were cut off by a low snarl, and then a loud bark. "What…?"

Out of the darkness came a mabari warhound at full trot, making a beeline for Hawke. "Loiosh! Good boy!" Hawke dropped her daggers and crouched down. The dog leaped into her arms, knocking her over. "Oh great, the dog found us," muttered Anders.

Meanwhile, Hawke was standing, having greeted her returning dog. "Oh Anders, relax. Besides, he'll be useful in helping get us out of here." She turned to the dog. "Do you want to take down a dragon, boy?" The dog barked excitedly. "That's my boy!"

She turned to the rest of them. "Alright. We're getting out of here. We need to get behind the dragon to bring it down. Isa," she turned to the pirate, "one of us will have to distract the dragon long enough for the other to jump it from behind. I'll draw its fire, you be ready to take it out." Not waiting for any response, she turned to Varric. "Varric, keep up suppressing fire, try to keep anything else in that room off of us. I'll have Loiosh with me, but we may need help there. Anders-"

"I know, I know. Keep everyone alive, I'm on it."

Hawke smiled, a hungry gleam in her eye. "Alright, people. Let's get the hell out of here."

As they turned back towards the entrance to the room, Isabela drew her daggers. "Much better, that's the fiery Hawke I've come to know."

Hawke shot her a big grin as she drew her own daggers. "Oh, honey, you haven't 'known' me just yet. But maybe if we get out of this…" She winked at the pirate, then let out a deep war cry, drawing the dragon's attention. She charged into the room, followed closely by the mabari. She realized immediately that she would need to rely on Varric's crossbow more than she had realized: the room was crawling with dragonlings. She looked over and saw Isabela sneaking around the perimeter of the room, unnoticed by their opponents.

Hawke wove a tangled path between the dragonlings and the pillars of fire the dragon poured down at her. She saw Anders and Varric move into the room to get a better angle as Hawke drew them towards the near corner. She spared a look to Isabela, who was now behind the dragon on the platform, readying herself for a flying leap. Hawke stopped moving, she had to keep the dragon there so Isabela landed where she needed to.

A sharp and intense pain brought her back to her own situation. A dragonling had clamped down hard on her leg, and was getting ready to shake, which doubtlessly would have ripped the limb from her body. Hawke pierced the dragonling's skull and brain with her dagger before she even realized she was moving. Almost immediately, she felt a warm feeling come over her, and light green lighting danced across her skin. The healing spell faded, and she mentally added it to the tally of which she had to thank Anders for.

The dragon let out a roar. Hawke looked up, expecting a pillar of flame to consume her, but instead, she saw Isabela with her daggers in the dragon's eyes. As it thrashed around, Isabela readied herself. In one fluid motion, she jumped and twisted, crossing her arms. There was a slight hesitation as her daggers came to the top of the dragon's skull, but then grey matter and bone erupted from the skin as the daggers pulled through the flesh. Isabela spun in the air, deftly avoiding the death throes of the dying beast.

She landed on her feet lightly. She glanced up at Hawke, who was just dispatching the last dragonling. "Show off," Hawke said to the pirate.

"Sue me," Isabela responded, the cocky grin she wore being mirrored on Hawke's face now. Anders and Varric moved into the room proper. "Varric, how good of a butcher are you?"

"Passable, but I'm not giving up my day job. Why do you ask?"

Hawke just looked pointedly at the dragon's corpse. "Who's hungry?"

**"There was a ****_dragon_****?"**

**"Of course there was. Do you think I would lie to you?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Fair enough, but I'm not. But since you don't believe the dragon, I guess I'll have to skip the rock demon and all that… and get right to the score."**

**"Whatever. You best start making sense soon, dwarf, or Maker help you…"**

The four of them stood in front of the treasure, dumbfounded. "That's… a lot of coin," Hawke said finally. "I mean… that's _a lot_ of coin!"

"I found something even better!" Anders called from across the chamber. Isabela ran over to the mage, and cheered. "The way out! We're out of here!"

Hawke sank to her knees, letting exhaustion and relief flood through her. She couldn't do anything but smile and laugh. _We're going to live… I'm going to see Bethany and mother again!_ She looked up to see Isabela standing directly in front of her, smiling. "While you're down there…"

Hawke playfully pushed Isabela away. "Not in front of the kids, Isabela. It will pervert their minds, and Varric's mind is in the gutter enough as it is."

Isabela extended her hand to Hawke to help the woman up. "I've been thinking of the renegotiating I did while you were miserable. It was unfair. I'm sure we can reach an agreement on another form of repayment."

Hawke took Isabela's hand. "Oh? And what do you want instead? A higher percentage?"

Isabela pulled Hawke up, but as Hawke reached her feet, Isabela pulled her in close to her, pressing her body into Hawke's. "I'm confident you can think of something," Isabela whispered huskily in her ear.

Hawke stepped back slightly, just enough to look Isabela in the eye and still be pressed against her. "Let's settle the semantics of our deal later." Hawke fairly breathed the words into Isabela's mouth before stepping fully back. Winking at the pirate, she said to the others. "Ok, gentlemen. Let's collect our booty."

"That's what I was _trying_ to do!" Isabela muttered, shooting a pouty look at Hawke. They fashioned a makeshift sledge from scraps of wood and rope that littered the room, and slowly began dragging the treasure through the crack in the cavern wall, slowly making their way up and out of the deep roads.

The path away from the crack wound its way up the side of a cliff that overlooked the sea that separated the Free Marches from Fereldan, at least according to Isabela. There were plenty of berries and legumes along the path to supplement their remaining dragon meat. After an uneventful three days, they were back at their original camp at the entrance to the deep roads. They stopped to investigate. Hawke crouched down near the fire pit. "This hasn't been used since we originally camped here. If Bartrand made his way out through here, they didn't stop."

Varric snorted. "Hopefully, he was being chased by darkspawn."

"I wonder… what was that idol that Bartrand took?"

Anders responded. "Whatever it was, it was made out of pure lyrium. If that gets into the wrong hands… it could be trouble."

"What are the risks of being exposed to it?"

"Raw lyrium? Anything from harmless to horrific. A piece the size of the idol… he would start suffering from migraines first. After that, he'd have problems with his eyes focusing. After a while, he would start to hear things, then see things. Eventually, he'd go completely mad."

Varric was quiet for a moment. "Damn you, Bartand." Hawke could tell he was upset both at his brother and for his brother, he clearly didn't want Bartrand to suffer what Anders was describing.

Hawke glanced over at Anders. It was clear he had more, but didn't want to further upset Varric. Hawke looked to Isabela, and saw the same recognition on her face. "Varric, Isa… we'll stop here for now. No sense in exhausting ourselves in trying to the main road tonight."

They all nodded and set down their packs, bringing the makeshift sledge into the center of their camp. Varric busied himself with getting a fire going and getting some food cooking. As he was doing that, Isabela, Hawke, and Anders were setting up the tents a short distance away. Hawke looked to Varric to make sure he wasn't paying attention before she started questioning Anders in a low voice.

"Alright, Anders… what else is there to this idol?"

"It… gets much worse than I described."

"We got that… how much worse?"

"Lyrium is used to enhance magical abilities. Most lyrium can only be used by people with magical capabilities, but is still extremely dangerous, and can result in complete psychosis. In this case, It gets even worse than that…"

Isabela sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that we're in for a lecture?"

Anders ignored the comment. "What the idol was made out of wasn't raw lyrium. It was actually primeval lyrium, thought up until now to be a myth. As bad as the results of raw lyrium exposure is… it's thousands of times worse with primeval lyurium."

Hawke didn't fully understand the risks though. "But Bartrand is a dwarf, lyrium doesn't affect dwarves."

Anders shook his head sadly. "As powerful as the primeval lyrium is, it would affect anyone, regardless of species."

Hawke nodded, starting to understand. "Ok… so, what are we looking at here?"

"Best case scenario, Bartrand lost it somewhere in the deep roads and left it behind. Worst case scenario… he gives it to a human or an elf. Being more susceptible to lyrium exposure, they'd become…" Anders' voice trailed off as he realized the full horror of the implications.

".. become what, Anders?"

"… they'd become more powerful than any archdemon in history." He looked to Hawke and Isabela. "They'd become a god of death… and I don't know how anyone could stop them."

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**So, here we go! As always, all reviews and comments are welcome!**

**Coming up next... Hawke's name?**


	4. A Hawke By Any Other Name

**So here's the latest update to the story of everyone's favourite rogue/champion and rogue/pirate! Thanks for all of the faves/reviews/follows, it means a lot to me! So far, this has proven to be one of the most challenging chapters I've written throughout all of my fics, though I couldn't tell you why to save my life.**

**I'll try to keep updates coming on a bi-weekly basis, though I have a little one due any day now, so that may not be feasible. I'll try, though, I promise!**

**As always, Bioware owns everything. Except the character's souls (those are up for auction... mwa ha ha ha ha!)**

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"Ok, Hawke, spill it."

The Fereldan rogue did her best to look innocent as she went to down her pint. "Whatever do you mean?"

"The name and the scar. There are stories, and I want to hear them."

Hawke smiled. It had been awhile since anyone had asked about either. She didn't know whether to be surprised that it took Isabela so long to ask about them, or that she had asked about them at all.

"Well, the name is easy enough. Katja is a nickname my father gave me. It means 'crucible,' after a fashion."

"Crucible?"

Hawke smiled. "Yes. My father said that if he could pass the crucible of one child, they could have more. Afterwards, as I grew older, I was always into something. Precocious didn't do me justice. He kept saying, though, that if he could handle me, then nothing in life would give him trouble. So, he kept referring to me as Katja… his little crucible."

Isabela smiled. "So, if Katja is a nickname, what's your real name?"

Hawke nearly grimaced. "Marian."

Isabela laughed at the woman's obvious discomfort. "Marian? You?! I can't imagine you as a Marian. No, you will forever by Katja Hawke."

"Thank you for that."

"Now, the scar… let's go."

"Why the sudden fascination, Isa?"

Isabela just shrugged as she knocked back another ale. "Can't a girl just be curious?"

"Curious? Is that what we're calling it now?" Hawke shot back with a raised eyebrow and a grin playing at the corners of her mouth.

"And is this how the famous Hawke evades a question?"

Hawke sighed. Apparently, there was no way to dissuade Isabela's questioning this night. "I got it in a fight."

"That much I gathered. I want details, love. Was it an affair gone wrong? Some old boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

Hawke couldn't help but laugh. "Nothing so sordid, Isa. Let's see, it was about… ten years ago. There was an innkeeper in the village, one of his sons became a good friend of mine. And no, nothing like that, I've never had much interest in _boys,"_ Isabela took note of the not-so-innocent stress on the word, "but he was a dear friend, and our families were very close."

Hawke took another swig of ale before she resumed. "One day, I was with the innkeeper and his family. We were coming back from Redcliffe after getting some provisions and new linens. We were attacked by bandits just an hour or so from Lothering. They stopped the wagon, and threw me, the innkeeper, and his son into the mud. They ransacked the wagon, then turned their attention to us."

Isabela noticed the almost haunted look that came over Hawke as she relived the events of that day. "They threatened the innkeeper, demanding he tell them where he was hiding the jewels they thought he was carrying. He kept swearing that he didn't have any jewels, just the food, tablecloths, and bed sheets. The bandits must have mistook me for the man's daughter, because they said to him 'well, we'll just have to have some fun with her until your tongue is loosened.'

"There were seven of them. They surrounded me, taunting me. They made it clear what kind of 'fun' they were planning on having, as several had already dropped their pants. Somehow… I was able to find a dagger on the ground and hold them off long enough for the innkeeper's son to escape. The innkeeper stayed to try to help me… he got a dagger to the gut for his troubles.

"Every now and then I'd get cut, or feel a club strike, but I kept fighting for all I was worth, just trying to hurt them before they killed me. They were just toying with me, they could have killed me at any point. Eventually, a group of Templars arrived. They had been on the road on patrol when they were flagged down by the boy. Before the bandits ran off, their leader took the flat of his blade and shattered my nose.

"When I got home that night, my father and mother tended to me. I allowed my father to set my nose, but I refused any healing magic… I wanted the scars. I wanted to be reminded that I would never allow myself or anyone I cared about to be victimized like that ever again."

Hawke didn't look up as she finished her story, a sense of childish embarrassment permeating her. She didn't like telling that story. She knew that the story sounded much more glorious than it actually was. She remembered the terror and anger she had felt that day, and knew that it was anything but glorious.

"Well, there you go. No great heroics, just a scared young girl fighting for her life.

Isabela laughed, though not at Hawke. "Heroic or not, it's a good story. Don't tell Varric, he'd only ruin it with dragons and darkspawn."

Hawke smiled at that. "And the boy and I would end up as star-crossed lovers, trying to steal away into the night to go live happily ever after somewhere."

Isabela almost choked on her ale at that. "If he only knew you weren't interested in boys! He'd probably sell a lot more stories if he knew that!"

Hawke groaned. "I can only imagine the type of stories he'd tell with that knowledge. My poor sister would be scandalized! Mother too!"

They both laughed and poured themselves another pint from the decanter of ale on the table. As Hawke knocked back her pint, Isabela gave the woman an appraising stare. _For as much as she loves playing the hero, she always shrugs off the glory._ Isabela shook her head. "Scandalous or not, you're still right out of one of Varric's stories… the rogue with the heart of gold."

"Am I, now? Well, I need something to match against your silver tongue."

"Mmm… my tongue, Fereldan, is worth it's, mine, and your weight in pure gold."

"Really? Is that what all the girls tell you?"

"Do you want to find out for yourself?" Isabela

Hawke's eyes flashed at Isabela as she raised her cup of ale to her lips. "You have to ask?"

Isabela found herself at a loss for words. In this verbal sparring match, Hawke had landed a clean hit, and taken her off balance.

"… And with that, my fair pirate queen, I bid you adieu. I must get back to the house to let Loiosh out. He has a nightly ritual of walking back down to Lowtown and doing his business on my uncle's doorstep. We wouldn't want dear old Gamlen to be forgetting about me, would we?"

"If you'd like a nightcap, I'll be happy to swing by. I haven't seen the new place yet, and coming with you is just so much easier than having to sneak in."

Hawke smiled at the pirate. "Not tonight, fair pirate. I have an early morning meeting with Aveline, and something tells me if you come over for a night cap, I'll be tied up for a while."

Isabela arched an eyebrow. "Oh, so you like being tied up? I must remember that."

Hawke just laughed as she stood and started for the door. "Yes, you must. Perhaps one of these days…" she winked suggestively before she disappeared out the front door.

Isabela just leaned back in her chair. _That's two she got on me in a matter of minutes. I'll have to figure out a way to get back in the lead,_ she thought. She finished her pint and made her way up to her room. _I wonder what I'll dream about this night,_ she smiled at the thought.

* * *

**So thar we go! Up next... payoff! Maybe... perhaps... you'll just have to wait and see! (but I promise there'll be action of some kind or another! Maybe... perhaps...)**

**As always, all reviews and comments are welcome!**


	5. Surrender

**I promise I didn't forget about this! I just had a little one arrive in my life, so it's taken a while to find the time to get this polished to where I was good with posting it. **

**Ok, so here we get some good stuff going between our favorite two women of Dragon Age. Please see below for a rather dumb question!**

**Bioware owns everything except me. Though I am for sale if they're interested...**

* * *

Hawke's hands shook as she slipped out of her armor and dropped it on the floor. She was nervous, a feeling that she wasn't too used to. Sure, she was apprehensive before a fight, or sometimes downright scared, but nervous? She didn't do _nervous_ too often.

She strode through her bedroom slowly discarding her clothing on her way to her bathroom. The doorway was covered by a thick tapestry, but she always made sure that there were candles burning, and water ready to pour into the tub. Not for the first time, she thanked the Maker for having blessed her with such an talented enchanter in Sandal: the enchantment he had placed on the tub ensured that the water never got cold. With the rune carved into the side, she could adjust the heat to what she want, and it would stay like that until she drained the tub when she was done.

She pushed aside the tapestry and sighed in satisfaction. She had no issue with her body, and saw no problem walking around her home naked, but here in her private bath it felt inappropriate to _not_ be naked.

Absently, she wondered if Isabela would enjoy a bath. She pushed the thought out of her mind quickly, she couldn't get distracted just yet.

She walked over to the chain that would open the faucet from the rain catcher on the roof and begin to fill the tub. As the water flowed, she walked over to the small vanity that stood along one wall. She selected her favourite scents of lavender and lilac, and also apricot. She glanced over the rest of the salts and scents, chuckling to herself over the fact that three of them were almost gone: mango, tobacco, and sea salt. She had long ago found that the combination of the three, in the right proportions, would smell exactly like Isabela.

She sighed as she thought back to all of the times she would scent her bath with that combination and lose herself in her fantasies and dreams. She stopped the faucet and poured some of the salts in, mixing them into the water with her hand. Satisfied, she slowly slipped into the tub and sank up to her jaw in the perfectly warm water. She knew

Absently, she ran her hands over her body, pausing slightly at the silver hoops that adorned both of her nipples. She had gotten them done on a whim, inspired by Isabela's golden stud on her bottom lip. Her hands slowly left her breasts and moved on to the rest of her body, rubbing away the day's dirt and grime and leaving behind only clean, sweet-smelling skin.

Though she was as relaxed as she could get, the nervousness was still there. She tried to analyze it, and decided that it was equal parts anticipation, trepidation, and titillation, all stemming from one brief exchange with Isabela earlier in the day…

_"Isabela, duck!"_

_The pirate quickly dropped to her knees as Hawke's acid flask flew through the air and hit the slaver full in the face. Isabela hadn't even known he was there, focused as she was on the slaver in front of her. That was the third time that day that she owed Hawke her life._

_Before Isabela could stand, Hawke and Loiosh were at her side, though no other attacks came. Varric and Sebastian had chased the others away with their hail of arrows. The four of them were now alone in the small square right near the docks. The sun was only just now cresting over the buildings, and already the group had been fighting for hours. Aveline's guards had been pinned down, so Hawke and her allies had lent a hand in clearing the area. _

_As the four relaxed, the guards rounded the corner. Donnic was at the forefront, and he made a beeline for Hawke. "Sera Hawke, again we owe you our lives."_

_Hawke took his offered hand and shook it. "My pleasure. Aveline does tend to get upset when her guards are attacked."_

_"Still, I'm glad to have you on our side. Avel… Guard Captain Vallen is lucky to have you as a friend and ally."_

_Donnic released Hawke's hand and motioned for the other guards to follow him out of the dock area. Another contingent of guards was now arriving with litters and carts to clean up the bodies. Hawke walked back to her allies. "Well, it seems our work here is done. Who wants breakfast?"_

_"Unfortunately, I must pass on that today. I will have to get cleaned up and go to the Chantry for morning prayers. Another time, though?" Sebastian nodded his head to the group as he departed. _

_"Breakfast sounds good to me. But give me just a bit, I need to go polish Bianca. One of those nug-humpers managed to scratch her, and if I don't fix her right away she gets temperamental. Give me half an hour? Hanged man for some hash and eggs?"_

_Hawke shrugged. "Sounds fine to me. As long as it's greasy and we have something to drink with it, I'm game for anything."_

_Varric waved as he walked away. Isabela and Hawke looked at each other. "So, what do you want to do for half an hour?"_

_"Let's relax a bit, shall we? It's been a long day already."_ _Isabela sauntered over to one of the docks. She pulled her boots off and dangle her feet into the water as she leaned back, basking in the early morning sun. "This… is… fantastic."_

_Hawke smiled as she joined her. Pulling her own boots off, she sat next to the pirate. She shrugged out of the harnesses that strapped her daggers to her back, undid her belt with her various flasks and bombs, and set them all to her side. She plunged her feet into the water, splashing Isabela a little. "You… are… right. Oh, my poor feet. I swear, I need to get some more comfortable boots!"_

_"We can arrange that. After breakfast, let's do some shopping. It's high time we both get something to wear that's not armor."_

_"I really don't need to get anything, I'm just being dramatic."_

_"Hawke, you have the money, and you will splurge on yourself every now and then."_

_"Fine. But I get final say on everything, you're not forcing me to buy anything that I don't think I'll actually use."_

_"Deal. But that means you're buying breakfast."_

_"Deal."_

_They reclined in silence for a moment. As they each moved their feet in the water, they occasionally came into contact with each other, the frequency increasing as time went on. Both of them could feel their heartbeats speed up, and Isabela noticed Hawke's breathing get slightly heavier. Isabela smiled to herself. She motioned to Hawke to turn to face her as she turned to face Hawke. She pulled Hawke's feet into her lap and started rubbing, eliciting a quiet moan from the woman. This time, Isabela's smile wasn't kept to herself. _

_After a few moments, Isabela switched to Hawke's other foot. "So, besides new boots, what do you need?"_

_Hawke thought for a moment. "I hadn't thought about it much. I could certainly use a new house coat, perhaps a nicer robe, perhaps some more bath salts-"_

_"Mmm… bath salts, I like those."_

_"You'll have to use my bath sometime, Sandal enchanted it so the water never gets cold."_

_"That sounds lovely. It's been too long since I simply lounged in a nice bath. Since you've so kindly offered the use of it, I will certainly take you up on it."_

_"How about tonight?"_

_Hawke immediately felt warm, and not just from the morning sun. In all of their flirtations and teasings, they had never been so blatant with each other. Everything was entendre and deflection with them, nothing stated clearly, or if it was, it was always deflected with a joke or snide comment._

_No longer. Hawke knew what she had invited Isabela over for, and Isabela knew it too. "Tonight? I will clear my schedule. But come on, it's time we met Varric, and then we have some shopping to do."_

_Isabela stood, and extended her hand to Hawke. Hawke took it, and as she was pulled to her feet, Isabela also pulled her into her. As their bodies touched. Isabela whispered into Hawke's ear. "I'll give you an out, but only once, darling."_

_Hawke pulled back slightly to look Isabela in the eye. It would be the smart thing to do, to not get involved in the pirate like that. To not get involved with _any_ of her friends like that. She admired Isabela and relished spending time with her, anything more than that may affect not only their friendship, but their effectiveness in a fight. _

_But Hawke was also a woman with needs. And she would be lying if she didn't freely admit to having filled some of those lonely nights with dreams of Isabela._

_"The front door will be locked. I'll leave a window to the library open."_

_Isabela smiled. She had hoped Hawke wouldn't change her mind. "Still, if that window is closed tonight, I'll understand." For the life of her, Isabela couldn't understand why she was giving Hawke a way out. Normally, she'd have already disrobed Hawke there on the docks, but there was something making pause. Perhaps it was the fact that they were so close, and she truly enjoyed their time together and she didn't want to lose her dearest friend, or because…_

_No, that line of thought had to stop. Feelings and emotions could only complicate matters at the moment. In any event, it was time to meet Varric. They both pulled their boots on. Hawke offered her arm to Isabela, who took it with a smile. "Breakfast with our dwarven friend, shopping, and then… dessert?"_

_Isabela winked at Hawke. "Dessert is right, sweet thing." Together, they sauntered off to the Hanged Man, neither of them admitting to the fluttering of their heart and blush on their cheeks._

**"Is this really important?"**

**"Seeker, would I waste your time?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Point taken. But I'm not, this is important. You'll understand later."**

_Three hours later, Hawke and Isabela were making their way through the Lowtown markets, arm-in-arm. Vendors were hoc__k__ing their wares, while customers haggled with them for lower prices. Hawke loved the markets, both Lowtown's and Hightown's. She loved being able to just lose herself in the crowd feel anonymous for once. She would pick up some bread, perhaps from fruits and vegetables, and just snack as she walked, relishing the chance to feel somewhat normal._

_Not today, though. As the two women walked, Isabela was constantly rushing off to inspect some shiney object or another. Every time she did, Hawke smiled at the almost child-like innocence of her friend. Every new dagger at a smith's stand was something to be seen, touched, played with, and promptly discarded for the dagger next to it. _

_"Hawke, isn't this dagger fabulous? The blade is remarkably sharp, and look at the engraving!"_

_Hawke walked up and inspected the dagger Isabela was holding. "Yes, it is remarkable. I remember thinking that two weeks ago when we picked it up from a dead Qunari out at the Broken Coast"_

_Isabela looked back to the dagger. "I thought it looked familiar." Turning to the merchant, she crossed her arms. "How much are you asking for this?"_

_"Four gold. It belonged to the legendary Hawke, which adds value…"_

_Isabela looked back over to Hawke. "We only got seventy silver for it! This is robbery!" She turned back to the merchant. "You sniveling little weasel! You think you can rip us off like that? Wait 'til I get my hands on you-"_

_Before Isabela could cause a bigger scene, Hawke quickly steered her away. "Come on, Isa. We'll get more from him next time, no need to completely embarrass him to the point that he won't do business with us anymore."_

_"It's not right, Hawke!"_

_"Isa, I think you're more concerned about what's more profitable than what's right."_

_"That's… beside the point!"_

_Hawke playfully swatted Isa on the arm. "Next time, we'll have Fenris negotiate when we sell our spoils of battle."_

_"One thing's for sure," Isabela said smiling. "Next time we sell him the dagger, we'll get more than seventy silver."_

_"What do you mean 'next time we sell him the dagger?'"_

_Isabela smiled as she held up her hand, still holding the dagger from the merchant's stand. Hawke groaned. "Isa, you're in corrigible. But come on, we're at my favourite spot in the markets."_

_They were now where all the food vendors had their shops. Hawke strode up to one on the right, practically dragging the chuckling pirate behind her. "Atrus, Atrus!"_

_The elderly merchant behind the counter turned at her call. "Ah, Lady Hawke, so good to see you again! I trust the day finds you well?"_

_Hawke smiled. "It finds me very well, Atrus, thank you. What's new today?"_

_"Well, we still have sandberries, elvenroot,_ _and_ _cherries, but we just got our first crop of dragonfruit in."_

_"Oh, I can't turn those away. I'll take four, please."_

_The merchant pulled out a small cloth sack and put half a dozen of the fruit in it. "Two extra for the two beautiful women."_

_"Aw, thank you, Atrus. Here you go." Hawke handed the man two gold. _

_"Please, Lady Hawke, they're only ten silver apiece…"_

_"Consider it an investment in a good businessman."_

_Atrus bowed his head. "Thank you, my dear. I swear, if I were thirty years younger and you were a little blind in one eye…"_

_Hawke laughed. "Have a great afternoon, Atrus!"_

_Isabela looked at Hawke as they walked away.. "Flirting with the old man?"_

_Hawke rolled her eyes. "Please, he's old enough to be my grandfather. Besides, you know where my attentions are drawn.." Hawke made a show of staring as Isabela's cleavage, which gained her a laugh and a playful punch in the arm from the pirate. "Pervert."_

_They made their way up to the Hightown markets for their clothes shopping. Hawke was reluctant to get more than just get a new pair of boots, but Isabela insisted that they go to several shops and try on as many pairs as they could. At the seventh, Hawke finally found a pair that she liked, and more importantly, that Isabela approved of. _

_As they wandered, Hawke introduced Isabela to the proper way to eat a dragonfruit. "First, you have to cut it in half and scoop the seeds out, otherwise you'll burn your mouth horribly. Now, use your dagger to cut a bit of the flesh off. __B__ite it but don't chew it. Hold it in between your teeth and cheek, letting the juices run out of the fruit. Once flesh of the fruit is no longer leaking, then you chew it."_

_Isabela found the whole process a bit much for a bit of fruit. After all, an apple you could just pick up and bite into. But she had to admit, the dragonfruit was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The juices of the fruit were intensely spicy, but the fruit itself was refreshingly sweet, and quenched the heat of the juices. She'd tried just eating the fruit normally, but it lost all of its unique flavor. _

_"Hawke, this thing is amazing, Rather difficult to eat, but worth it."_

_"Thanks. My father loved dragonfruit. He taught me this wonderful recipe for a dragonfruit trifle that's simply orgasmic!"_

_Isabela smiled at the choice of words. "Speaking of 'orgasmic,' Hawke… I was thinking…"_

_"Yes?" Hawke did her best to ignore the knot that had immediately formed in her stomach. She was fully expecting Isabela to call off their "appointment" for that night. She had to be honest, part of her was hoping she would, but a much larger part was so caught up with desire that it didn't care about the possible repercussions._

_Isabela, for her part, was torn. She very much wanted Hawke, but if anything, their shopping excursion had been fun. Too much fun to give up for something as easy to get as sex. _

_But she desperately wanted Hawke. All day they had been walking arm-in-arm, and she'd be lying if she said that the feel of the woman's skin against her own wasn't intoxicating. A few times during the day, they had even walked hand-in-hand, which made her feel slightly lightheaded, which she didn't understand._

_But she admitted that, as exciting as it was, Hawke was the closest thing to a true friend she had ever had, and she didn't want to lose that friendship. Along with that, even she could realize how beautiful and sweet and pure Hawke was, and to Isabela had to confront the truth that, quite simply, Hawke was far too good for someone with Isabela's reputation. "Hawke… about tonight. I… understand if you'd have second thoughts about it. I mean… I'd still like to, but if you… you know… don't, I understand."_

Wow, what an idiot I am,_ Isabela thought to herself. _Could that have been any worse? _Still, she had said what she needed to, and held her breath as she waited for Hawke's response._

_Hawke, for her part, wasn't sure what to do. It was clear to her that Isabela also didn't want to lose their close friendship, but also wanted Hawke as much as she wanted Isabela. The more she thought about it, Hawke realized what a potentially disastrous idea it was, but she still found Isabela alluring, interesting, funny, smart, _and a much better person than she gives herself credit for.

_In a moment, Hawke decided. She stopped walking. She held up half of one of their dragonfruits. "This is an amazing fruit. You can eat it raw, you can cook with it, you can bake with it, and it is used in half a dozen different potions. But one of my favourite things to do with it is this…" She squeezed the juice of the fruit directly into her mouth. Dropping the fruit, she grabbed Isabela by the back of the neck and pulled her into a small alcove between two stalls. As Hawke reached the wall, she turned and pulled Isabela towards her._

_Their lips met for the second time ever. Hawke desperately pulled Isabela closer to her, and opened her mouth against Isabela's, who responded in kind. Their tongues wrestled for dominance as the juice of the dragonfruit passed from Hawke to Isabela. Isabela felt her mind explode. Between the adrenaline rush of the kiss, her arousal at being pressed against Hawke, and the sheer heat from the dragonfruit juices, she felt her knees go week and her face flush. _

_Hawke wasn't relenting, though. She pulled her legs up and wrapped them around Isabela's waist, digging her heels into the pirate's hips, trying to press the woman even closer. Isabela, for her part, shifted her hands to hold the smaller woman up, holding her backside and pulling her in as well. Isabela slid her hands up Hawke's smallclothes and sunk her nails into the tender flesh beneath, eliciting a deep moan from Hawke._

_After what seemed to each of them to be forever, Hawke broke their kiss and leaned back. Isabela swore she could see faint wisps of steam coming from both of their mouths. "Is that enough answer for you, Isa?"_

_Isabela could only breathe for a moment as her vision cleared and her heartbeat slowed. "That… I liked. I liked that very much. More dragonfruit will be needed…"_

_Hawke laughed as she brought her legs back down to the ground. "I'd like to think it was more than the fruit, but we still have four more."_

_They stood there for a moment, each catching their breath before they slowly extracted themselves from one another. As they stood before one another, they locked eyes. Each could see the barely restrained lust in each other's eyes. Isabela was the first to speak. "Well, if that's your answer, perhaps you'll be up for shopping for something a little special for tonight?"_

Hawke ran her fingers through her hair, soaking it. The memory of the kiss brought her arousal and excitement to a high. She slid her hands down her body in the water, gasping as she passed over her nipples and travelled downwards. _I wonder what will her hands feel like, _she idly wondered.

She sighed. She'd never find out if she stayed in the bath. She slowly stood and rinsed herself, then pulled the chain that would empty the tub down into the Kirkwall sewers. She.

She stepped out of the tub and grabbed her towel. She dried herself quickly, then dropped it on the floor. She walked back out into her bedroom, gasping slightly as the cool air enveloped her body. She smiled as she saw the wrapped package laying on the bed. She unwrapped it, pulling the delicate material out from the paper. She hadn't gotten a proper look at it earlier, but she was excited to see it now.

_"Come on, Hawke, stop fidgeting!"_

_"Isa, I can't help it. Think about the situation."_

_"Tough, this is the way it is, so you'll just have to deal with it."_

_Hawke sighed. "Isa, I'm standing in the middle of a shop a block away from the Blooming Rose, blindfolded, while you do… whatever it is you're doing."_

_She heard a slight chuckle from the pirate. "Yes. Are you finding the experience unpleasant?" Hawke shuddered, as Isabela had whispered directly into her ear. _

_"Not entirely, but I'm fighting the suspicion that you're somehow undressing me and charging admission."_

_Isabela laughed at that. "Not a bad idea. Maybe next time."_

_Isabela held up the next garment to Hawke. She had had a good friendship with the clothing store owner for several years now, and was able to convince her to "take a walk" as Isabela shopped. She wanted something special for Hawke, and wanted to surprise her with it. _

_Of course, with this shop, whatever she bought for Hawke was actually for Isabela. They were in Kirkwall's famous shop "The Harpy's Herald," known for their very expensive and very sensual lingerie. _

_As Isabela held up the final garment, she gasped. "That's it! This is the one!" She quickly wrapped the garment in the brown paper and twine from the counter, threw down several gold coins as payment, and pulled Hawke out of the store._

_As the blindfold was raised, Hawke blinked as her eyes adjusted back to the light. "Ok, what was that?"_

_Isabela just smiled as she held up the parcel. "This, my dear, is for you for later. You don't get it now, as I don't want you to peek, but trust me… you'll love it. Now come on, a few drinks are in order!" She slipped the parcel into her belt at her back, then held out her arm for Hawke. "Now come on, escort a lady to a hovel?"_

_Hawke just raised her eyebrow, trying not to let the flush of 'later' show. "With pleasure, though I must admit my thoughts right now are very un-ladylike." Instead of taking her arm, Hawke wrapped her own arm around Isabela's waist so she could hold the pirate against her body as they walked. Both of them relished the contact, though neither of them would fully admit how aroused they were by the proximity of the other_

As she held it out in front of her, she smiled. It was black, made of lace and satin, and it would cover only the barest parts of her. She quickly slipped it on and adjusted it in the mirror near her bath. _Isabela certainly has impeccable taste in lingerie._ She smiled to herself as she felt the fabric against her skin, relishing in how it felt like liquid, gently caressing her curves and clinging in all of the right places. She paused at the foot of the bed and grabbed her housecoat. _No need to traumatize Sandal and Bodhan anymore than they're going to be_, she thought as she slipped it on.

She walked out her bedroom door, and saw Isabela downstairs at the desk, writing something. Hawke slowly walked down the stairs, relishing the anticipation and the feel of the lace and satin against her skin. She slowly walked down the stairs to greet her pirate.

**"First off, I don't need to hear about the Champion's sex life. Secondly, you already went over this part. And how do you know all that anyways?"**

**"Hawke told me about it later."**

**"And I'm to believe that?"**

**"Well, if you'd rather not believe that version, you can read my best-selling story, ****_The Banshee of Hightown._****"**

**"Something tells me I'd best avoid that."**

**"Hey, your exact words were 'tell me everything.' I didn't guess that the Seekers would be so squeamish."**

**"Shut up. Get to the point of this quickly or Maker help you…"**

As Isabela left the bedroom, Hawke let her robe fall open. She laid back on the bed, arguing with herself. _That was… amazing… but did I do the right thing? Will this affect our friendship? Will Isabela now not want to joke around flirt and…_

_Stop. Stop this right now. You're a grown woman, and you will share your bed with whomever you choose. And if things are awkward with Isabela later on, that's what happens. But it was an amazing night, and you're allowed to relish the memory of it, and the fact that she even said she hoped I would leave the window open more often._

Hawke threw the robe onto the floor, curling up in her bed naked. She breathed deep, smiling as Isabela's scent drifted into her nostrils. As sleep took her, her subconscious made a startling revelation, one that was too late to properly think about.

_I've completely fallen for her!_

* * *

**Ok, so there we go again. coming up next... the morning after!**

**So, dumb question. Varric references ****_The Banshee of Hightown_**** in his telling. I've started work on it, and it is a VERY NSFW telling of what happened after the scene faded to black. Like, EXTREMELY NSFW.**

**Question is: is anyone interested? I admit to feeling a little silly and embarrassed while writing it, and there's no shortage of *those* type of stories here, but I want to give my readers what they want. If interested, mention so in a review, or message me!**

**Speaking of... all reviews are welcome! Positive, negative, signed, anonymous, etc. Any and all! **


	6. The Morning After

**I promised the morning after, and here we go!**

**Again, Bioware owns the people and the places. ::insert witty comment here::**

* * *

Hawke slowly opened her eyes, bracing herself against the sunlight that she already felt on her face. She groaned, finding that she was sore in places that she wasn't aware she had until just now. She slowly rolled off the bed and made her way to her bathroom, where she started to draw a very hot bath, hoping to ease some of the aches away.

She also wanted to relax and think about what had happened last night. She and Isabela had finally given in to each one another and slept together. And now, Hawke wasn't sure if she regretted it or not. _It had been… amazing, but will it change anything? Will Isabela want to do it again? Has she already moved on to some other conquest? If she has…_ She shook her head. Best not to stress about anything until it happened.

In the meantime, she reached for her bath salts. She was very tempted to use the mango, tobacco and sea salt, but thought better of it. She didn't want to be reminded of Isabela if things were awkward or worse, over.

After a quick bath, Hawke got dressed and headed down to the Hanged Man for breakfast. It had quickly become a given that her group of friends would congregate there in the mornings for a shared breakfast, people showing up or not as they felt. The constants were always Varric, Isabela and Hawke, though.

As she entered the main door, she saw Varric and Isabela sitting at their normal table in the back corner, each already finishing a plate. Hawke nervously made her way over to them. Isabela looked over and saw her approaching and waved. "Good morning, sunshine! Come, sit next to Isabela!" She patted the seat next to her.

Hawke sat down, not fully expecting how to act around the pirate who, just a few hours ago, had been in her bed, fulfilling every carnal desire Hawke had. And now she was sitting next to her casually eating her hash and sausage, not giving any indication that anything had happened.

Isabela, for her part, had to resist every urge to throw Hawke on the table and take her again. The night before had, instead of easing her desire for the woman, increased it exponentially. She was similarly unsure of how to act with Hawke now, but she refused to show it. That would have been a sign of... Isabela shook the thought from her head. _No emotions!_ She chastised herself. Besides, it was clear to her that Hawke was perhaps uncomfortable, so she decided to try to have some fun with her. "Hawke, did you eat yet? I have some sausage left over."

"No thanks, Isa. I-"

"That's right, you don't like sausage, I forgot." Isabela winked at her as she picked up the sausage herself.

"Uh… I feel like I missed something." The dwarf looked from Hawke to Isabela, the gears in his mind clearly turning.

"Did you ever, Varric!"

Hawke almost blushed. Isabela smiled to herself. _And yet another game begins… _ Hawke, though, immediately realized what Isabela was doing, and decided to play along. _After wall, there is no reason for anything to be awkward._ "Yes, Varric. It seems that, at some point last night, Isabela decided to become a Chantry sister!"

Both of her companions looked at her with shock on their faces. Isabela spoke first. "A Chantry sister?"

Hawke hid her wicked smile behind a mug of juice. "Why else would you have been screaming 'oh Maker, oh Maker' all night?"

Isabela smiled at the Fereldan. _Good, we're good._ Varric still looked slightly confused. "Wait..."

Isabela sat back in her seat. "Well, when one is given as many… _visions,_ as I was last night, one begins to believe in miracles again."

"Oh, my dear Isabela, I do believe that what you call 'visions' were nothing more than simple tricks. If you want a real vision, I think that can be arranged."

"Wait a second you two…" Varric stood from his seat, which brought him only an inch higher than he was before. "Something happened… oh nug-shit, did you…?"

"Yup." Hawke smiled as she answered. "Several times."

Varric sat down, his shocked look now melting to one of resignation. "Well, I guess it was only a matter of time. Any way a storyteller can get the details?"

Isabela leaned in towards the dwarf. "Twenty pieces of gold will make me sing like a bird."

Hawke nudged the pirate. "I know something else that can make you sing like a bird for a lot less."

Both Varric and Isabela leaned back and laughed. "I guess that's true, Hawke." Hawke toasted herself, and, confident that she and Isabela had avoided any awkwardness, threw her leg over Isabela's rubbing her skin against the pirate's. Isabela just smiled at her and winked, mouthing "later." Hawke smiled. "Anytime you want" was her silent reply.

At this, Merrill, Fenris, Aveline, and even Anders arrived. It took Hawke a moment to remember that they had planned to spend the day planning on how best to get rid of several of the street gangs plaguing Kirkwall, as well as starting their trip to Merrill's people to help her with a personal issue.

Hawke's initial reaction was to pull her leg back, but after that first thought, she settled, and left it where it was. She had no cares as to who in their group knew about her and Isabela, though what exactly she and Isabela were at the moment was still anyone's guess.

For Isabela, a small part of her was offended that Hawke was seemingly laying a claim by having her leg over her own in front of their friends, but a larger part of her didn't mind that at all. In fact, the fact that she could have Hawke anytime she wanted brought immense pleasure to her, and only made the contact that much more exhilarating.

Out of all of their friends, though, only Aveline seemed to notice the change between the two. "Oh for Maker's sake…" was all she muttered at their almost girlishly grinning faces.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Plans were made to confront the gangs once Hawke, Isabela, Aveline, and Merill returned from Sundermount. After that and a light lunch, the group dispersed to pack and ready for the short trip to see the elves. In the back of both Hawke's and Isabela's mind, though, one question remained and would not be pushed aside: _"where exactly do we go from here?"_

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**As always, all reviews and such are welcome!**

**Up next: the making of an orphan...**


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